Cold takes exposed as Raiders’ Brock Bowers enters convo for Offensive ROY

A lot of people were kicking the Raiders when Las Vegas selected Brock Bowers 13^th overall in April’s draft. Seven months later, a few teams that drafted ahead of the Raiders are kicking themselves for not taking Bowers.

Bowers, who enters Week 14 leading all NFL players with 84 receptions, could become the first rookie to lead the NFL in catches since Tom Fears in 1948. The Raiders phenom also would become the first tight end to pace the league in that category. At least one analyst believes he’s earned consideration for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

“We’ve been obsessing over the quarterbacks,” said Sam Monson from The 33^rd Team. “It’s Jayden Daniels and, ‘Oh, look, Bo Nix is coming up on the rail;’ now it’s a two-horse race.’ Brock Bowers right now is record-breaking at tight end. He’s the only significant passing weapon the Raiders have – and they don’t have a quarterback. He’s still breaking records. He’s rookie of the year right now unless one of these quarterbacks gets back on track and stops having any kind of average game.”

Monson said the obvious argument against Bowers – and for that matter any non-quarterback, including the electric running back he’ll see on Sunday in Tampa Bay – is the perception that playing quarterback is much more difficult. But Bowers isn’t just leading rookies with his eye-popping numbers; Bowers is leading all players.

In last week’s loss at Kansas City, Bowers caught 10 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown, surpassing Keith Jackson (81 in 1988 with the Eagles) for the second-most receptions by a rookie tight end in NFL annals. Bowers (84) has five games to eclipse Sam LaPorta (86 in 2023 with Detroit) for the record at his position. He also has five games to register just 22 catches and break the overall rookie record, Puka Nacua’s 105 receptions in 2023.

This season, Bowers has three games with 10-or-more catches. While Jaylen Waddle (2021) also had three such games as a rookie, Odell Beckham Jr. (2014) is the only one to do it four times. The Raiders (2-10) are in Tampa Bay (6-6) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

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